It’s a sector that’s often shrouded in anonymity, but from now on, anyone who visits a brothel in Zurich will be legally required to supply their details to comply with contact-tracing measures.
The move is one of many taken around Zurich to try and stop or slow large outbreaks of coronavirus around the canton. Anyone using a brothel in Zurich must now leave their name and telephone number, and can be fined for not complying with the rule and for giving false information.
However, the move has drawn criticism from some groups, including FIZ, an advocacy and support service for migrant women and victims of trafficking. FIZ claims that the decision will push more sex workers into working illegally (and therefore more dangerously), so that they can attract clients who don’t want to leave their details. FIZ also say that the strategy still places an unfair burden of responsibility on women working in the sex industry, as they have to verify the details left by clients by checking them against an official form of ID.